Survival
by CommanderCloud
Summary: Continued after Transformers Prime 226, follow Optimus and the Autobots in their struggle to survive with the new Autobot Hunter on their tails, a Decepticon fortress, and uncountable amounts of Terricons/Drones/Vehicons. Armed with the damaged Star Saber, this is mostly told in OPtimus's POV with some normal POV in other chapters. (transformers prime season 3 teaser trailer)
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Me: I OWN THEM ALL! **

**Ratchet: *Kicks me into a wall with a 360 roundhouse***

**Me: FRAGGIN- *hits wall* -Hatchet... **

**Ratchet: say iiiit! *brandishes a wrench***

**Me: alright, alright! What the slag?! I DO NOT OWN ANY RECOGNIZABLE TRANSFORMERS. YAH HAPPEH NOW PEPPERMINT STICK?**

**Ratchet: ...**

**Note: This is continued after Transformers Prime season 2 episode 26. LOOK IT UP! XD **

* * *

I watched each Autobot disappear into the ground-bridge, trying not to look at their saddened faceplates. Smokescreen was last, before Ratchet, and he saluted before he transformed and disappeared into the blue.

"I never thought it would end like this…" Ratchet murmured.

"Neither did I, old friend." I said, watching the medic vanished into the light of the 'bridge. I turned to the control panel and computer, unsheathing the Star Saber from my back. _I have to destroy the coordinates._

Raising the blade up, memories flashed before my optics as I brought the blade down on the computer, then darkness.

_"Protect the Autobots, Orion, protect them with your life. That is the duty of a Prime," said Sentinel Prime._

"_I will, Sentinel. Till all are one." I replied. The Autobot insignia rested proudly on my shoulder armor, my new battle mask gleamed, and my Prime symbol was brighter than ever. I've become a Prime, after so many vorns of training. _

"_Till all are one." The crowd of mechs, femmes, and Guardians repeated. Three certain 'Bots were missing, I noticed sadly when I looked out over the crowd. My friends and living family where all their but Silentecho, Vengence and Blockade. I knew why they weren't there, but it still bothered me. All had vanished on the same solar cycle, only three orns ago, and I had nightmares every lunar cycle about where they may be. All have been taken by the Decepticons, and I can only imagine what's happened to them since. _

I awoke to see a blur of the grayed skies, a red and white figure leaning over me and pain, everywhere. "Optimus," said a familiar voice. "You're alive!"

"Ratchet… what…" somehow I managed to get my vocal processor to work, if only for a moment. All that had happened before darkness was a dark blur, but the memory was vivid. There was a searing pain in the back of my helm, and I almost couldn't remember anything of the last orn.

"Save your strength." Ratchet said quickly, glancing around. "You've lost a lot of energon…" My vision slowly cleared and I could see why I had been staring at the sky; Omega One was destroyed, and I was lying where the ground-bridge tunnel had been. Ratchet leaned back on his pedes, optics clearly showing worry and uneasiness. "Megatron fired the _Nemesis_'s largest cannon on the base while you were inside. I'm surprised you even survived!" the field medic explained. It was then I remembered; I was just about to destroy the computer with the Star Saber when everything had gone painfully dark.

"We have to find a new base…" I murmured. Ratchet nodded.

"Already done, C'mon," he said, helping me to my pedes and turning southwest, away from the looming Decepticon fortress.

(**Up in New Kaon)**

Megatron scowled at what he saw on the monitor; Ratchet walking away from what was left of the Autobot base with Optimus leaning on the medic.

"He's alive?" the Decepticon leader growled. Starscream cringed.

"H-he shouldn't be. That blast should have turned the Prime to dust!" the Decepticon commander said, trying to calm his leader down.

"I KNOW HE FRAGGIN' SHOULDN'T BE!" Megatron roared at Starscream. Soundwave watched the whole scenario, used to Megatron exploding at the SIC. Starscream flinched and shut his mouthplates almost immediately. Megatron turned and sat on his throne as a ground-bridge opened, letting a few purple Vehicons walk out, followed by Knockout, the Decepticon scientist, medic, and weapons specialist.

"Lord Megatron…" Knockout acknowledged, kneeling. "The human, Silas, has proven to be worth keeping alive."

"Good. I want to see what you can do with what you have learned, and see to it you find something worth my while." Megatron said with a smirk. "Harming the humans will bring Optimus out of hiding."

Knockout rose to his pedes. "Prime is alive?" he asked, looking at Soundwave, who nodded and pointed to the image on the monitor. Knockout narrowed his optics and nodded curtly. Megatron smiled, many twisted thoughts going through his processor.

* * *

Smokescreen looked at the sky and sighed, turning toward the south and setting his optics on the horizon. Unsure where he was, he logged the coordinates Optimus had given him into his internal navigation system and transformed to his alt mode; a white race car with blue stripes and number 53 decals in red on the doors, speeding off toward what he hoped was the Texan border.

* * *

Arcee turned her mirror toward Jack and slowed, pulling onto the side of the highway they were on. Jack was dozing off on the back of the navy blue motorcycle, and had a good reason to. It was close to midnight, and they had been driving for the last joor.

"Jack," Arcee said, stopping beside a patch of clovers that was conveniently close to the road. Jack climbed off and yawned, stretching his limbs from riding a cycle for so long. Arcee transformed and crouched behind the cover of a few bushes beside her human friend. "We'll reach the coordinates by noon tomorrow. Rest up." She said, motioning to the clovers and lowering her wings as a sedan drove by. Jack nodded and lay on his back on the clovers, looking at the stars until he dozed off. Arcee watched him for a few breems before pulling a half empty energon cube from her subspace, drinking some until there was merely less than a quarter left. _I hope everybot's alright… _she thought, gazing at the stars until recharge took her.

* * *

A bulky green truck slowly pulled into the parking lot of a roadside quickie mart and turned it's headlights off once parked in a spot closest to the road to escape the lights the mart still had on that late at night. In the passenger seat, though no one could see, was a teenage girl with pink highlights on the ends of her hair: Miko.

"Bulk?" Miko asked. The truck's internal lights flickered in response before a voice was heard.

"We'll be there sometime… soon." Bulkhead answered. Miko sighed and gazed out the window at the mart, slowly dozing off. "I hope." _I think I'm lost, _Bulkhead thought, turning all his lights off so Miko could sleep. _Frag…_

* * *

Raf hugged his knees as he sat in the back seat of a yellow muscle car speeding along an interstate, wide-awake in the early hours of the new day. The blue lights in the front dashboard were dim, signaling the weariness of the Autobot scout which Rafael rode in. "'Bee, you okay?"

Bumblebee whirred. "Just tired."

"We can pull over…" Raf suggested. Bumblebee whirred in agreement and pulled to the side of the interstate, opening his passenger door to let Rafael out so the twelve-year-old could stretch. Raf climbed out and sat on a tree stump, watching as Bumblebee transformed and ducked behind a short billboard to hide from possible passing cars. The yellow mech whirred and sat, leaning his back against the billboard and dimming his optics. Raf pulled a small blanket out of his backpack and curled up on the stump, watching cars pass by. Bumblebee crossed his arms and watched Raf, eventually dozing off with thoughts of the other Autobots and childrenin his processor.

* * *

**Anyway... search up Transformers Prime season 3 teaser trailer and click the third result on Youtube for the Hunter, and Season 2 episode 26 for what happened before this!  
**

**Ratchet: *rolls optics* seriously...everybot thinks that's Ravage.**

**Me: shut up smart-aft. *does a little Cybertronian tap-dance***

**Ratchet: -_- **

**Ironhide: *punches my shoulder***

**Me: *whines* OWWIE! Afts...**

**(Hope you like! Will have Chapter 1 in soon!)**


	2. Chapter 1-Blockade

**disclaimer:**

**Ratchet: saaaaaaaaaay it again!**

**Me: aaaaaaawww slag... 'i do not own any recognizable transformers'... though i wish i own that aft, Ironhide. *smirks***

**Ironhide: shaddup.**

**Me: whut? You BOTH wanted me to say a disclaimer... ^_^**

**Jazz: Storm, stopitnow!**

**Me: *grins innocently* BTW peeps, some OC behavior on Optimus' part, and many others. Some OCs, such as _(you will soon find out..._) and who this chapter is named after! Plus, the actual chapters are going to be MUCH longer than Prologue... YEAH WAFFLES!**

**Ratchet: idiot, Cybertronians can't eat waffles...**

**Me: aaaaw shaddup.**

**.:Comm:.  
*****:Bond:***  
_Thoughts  
_

**orns-weeks**

**solar cycle-day**

**breem-Cybertronian minute**

**quartex-month**

**nano-klik-Earth seconds**

**klik-Cybertronian seconds**

* * *

Its quiet, calm, several orns since the destruction of Autobot base. Nothing has happened within the last several solar cycles, not even a reconnaissance mission. Since the solar cycle we Autobots obtained the Matrix Of Destruction; a Matrix meant for Decepticon servos, the 'Cons have been surprisingly quiet, especially Megatron, the merciless leader of the Decepticons -of course every-bot knows that...- with his new fortress, New Kaon. I have grown increasingly restless. No Decepticon, ever, was this... silent. Even when we have been so easily found these last few orns. Even a Prime can get restless; though one almost never shows it. Of course, Ratchet keeps saying my optics are the windows to my spark... but I think he just knows me too well. He managed to find me a reason to get out of our base without the others noticing I was restless.

I'm now just outside Jasper, Nevada, the deserted town only a few miles from the Decepticon fortress. The sky is still a murky gray, and any flora of the area has died. This is definitely not a time of peace... In fact, I'm actually out here to test Ratchet's new life signal camouflage tech. If you're wondering; yes, we got a new base, but it's just Ratchet, Arcee, Bumblebee and I right now, as Ratchet is having trouble relocating Bulkhead and Smokescreen, but we don't yet know why. Special Agent William Fowler had taken Jack and Raf to another place for safety reasons, June Darby too.

**_.:Optimus, I have news and I need an update on the tech:._** Ratchet's voice suddenly came through my encoded comm link.

**_.:What are the news?:._**I asked, spying an Insecticon and ducking behind a tower of rocks.

**_.:I have a clue on where Bulkhead may be, and whether or not Wheeljack survived the attack on the original base.:._**Ratchet answered. I tossed a quick glance at where I had been awaken from stasis lock by Ratchet in the center of what's left of the military bunker, where we know the Jackhammer had crashed nearby.

**_.:Good. So far the camo tech has worked, I think. We're about to find out; I've spotted an Insecticon.:._**I told him, looking back at the flying Decepticon bug. Ratchet grunted.

**_.:You still need time for your repairing systems; be careful.:._**

**_.:Yes creator.:._**I said, smiling inwardly at my joke. Even though a Prime, and one that doesn't joke or kid around, for some reason I light up now and then, especially around Jack and Rafael.

Ratchet is pretty silent. I think he turned the comm link off on me again.

I rubbed my helm around a small dent I must have gotten the solar cycle I was buried alive, and looked at the Star Saber on my back. Only a little damaged, I could use it against the Insecticon, but using that much power would bring an Autobot Hunter onto my tail; that would be _very _unpleasant. I've only had one run-in with a Decepticon monster, and nearly didn't survive. As expected, it added to the needed repairs on me and the others -all but Ratchet- and raised our need of energon. Arcee has been stalking around our new base for the last quartex in anger and frustration -I'm guessing- and lashed out hard on the SH (Solid Hologram) Decepticons. Looking back at the Insecticon, I shifted in waiting, watching to see if the tech worked. It didn't; the 'Con started flying toward me instead of back to the fortress. Scrap.

**_.:Ratchet?:._**I said into the comm link. No answer. Heck, I didn't think he'd ever give me the twenty-breem silent treatment. The Insecticon screeched and transformed, landing only a few yards-Cybertronian yards-in front of me. **_.:Ratchet, now would be a good time to end the silent treatment...:._**I said into my comm, taking a defensive stand.

"If it isn't the supposedly dead Optimus Prime..." The Insecticon hissed. He sounded a lot like the Insecticon I failed to kill when they first attacked Omega One, the original base. I unsheathed my battle blades from their subspace and slid my battle mask out.

"Blackwing, leave him for the Autobot Hunters!" called another 'Con from the skies, supposedly one that wants to see what the Hunters can do.

Blackwing growled and ignored the other 'Con, eyeing my blades and debating whether or not to bother. I've always hated battle suspense, especially in these circumstances.

"I don't want to, Darkblade. This is my chance at a _Prime!" _shouted Blackwing, screeching again but with a higher pitch. I stumbled back a bit and sheathed my left blade, holding my helm with the freed servo. This frequency of screech was hurting my audio receptors and putting what felt like fire in my processor right where I felt the dent. Blackwing smirked and slashed to my right with his insanely huge claws. I say insanely huge because no Cybertronian has claws as big as an Insecticon's. I dodged with ease, slowed only slightly by my healing injuries, but thankfully nothing major.

"No one has to get hurt..." I said, unsheathing my left blade again and backing up.

Blackwing growled. "Yah, you have to get hurt," he said, running at me. I jumped into the air and dodged his claws, tossing a quick glance to Darkblade, who was watching instead of joining the battle. Blackwing screeched in frustration of my supposed 'cowardice' and grabbed my right leg as I jumped back again and slammed me head-on into the dirt. Luckily everything didn't go black for me, but it almost did for Blackwing as Darkblade fired at him.

"I said to leave him for the 'Bot Hunters!" Lord Megatron's orders!" the second Insecticon shouted.

Blackwing screeched a last time. "FINE." he growled, swinging me around into a rock wall -for 'good measure'- and transformed, flying away with Darkblade. Ratchet isn't going to be happy with my condition. My excuse: inevitable pain and damage when it came to Insecticons. I got up on my knees and groaned, off-lining my optics as I tried to get over the shock of hitting the rocks. I hate it when Silas, the leader of MECH, is right; remembering the unfeeling Nemesis Prime -also a creation of MECH- and Silas gives me a chill. I got up into a kneeling position and examined my lower right leg; Blackwing had done everything BUT crush it into a lobbing ball. Painful. Just then I felt a tremor in the ground. I instantly activated my scanners, looking around. Much to my dismay, one of the many Hunters was only a mile from Jasper, thankfully on the other side; but the monsters move fast. Too fast. I need a ground-bridge if I'm to escape alive.

**_.:Ratchet,:._** I said into my comm as I stood, trying not to put weight on my damaged leg; seriously ticking me off. For some reason, I got no reply from the field medic. I think he still has the link turned off. **_.:Ratchet!:._**I said again, watching the Hunter warily.

"Prime, the heck you doin' out here?" shouted a familiar voice accompanied by the whir of a helicopter: Special Agent William Fowler. My audio receptors hadn't caught the copter's whir; they must still be rebooting, so to put it short, I'm hard of hearing for a few more breems.

So far, Fowler has done his best to help, only to get copter after copter destroyed and himself nearly killed twice in the last three orns.

"Needed to test something of Ratchet's; It didn't work." I replied, wincing as I shifted.

Fowler raised an eyebrow. "I can see that much. And you might want to call for a 'bridge…?"

"I can't. Ratchet won't reply to my comm."

"Hm." Fowler pressed a button on the helicopter's dashboard and winked at me, holding his microphone between two fingers and shouting, **.:Ratchet get your big behind to the 'bridge and let Prime through!:.**

I snatched another glance at the Hunter, noting it was closer than before. Dangerously close. At just the right moment, a ground-bridge opened nearby, much to my relief. Bumblebee and Arcee stepped out of the blue/green/white colors of the 'bridge. Arcee's optics were narrowed. I suspect she was looking at the damage done by the Insecticon.

"Into the 'bridge, NOW!" shouted Fowler as the Hunter started running toward us. I limped toward the two 'Bots that had come, my leg sending waves of pain through the entire right side of my body every time I put weight on it. Luckily the 'bridge was close enough to where I had been standing to reach the 'Bots before the Hunter reached us. Bumblebee pulled a magnesium bomb out of his subspace and threw it in the hunter's direction before turning to follow me. Fowler flew his helicopter through the bridge behind Arcee and landed on the Autobot insignia that was on the floor. The ground-bridge closed and Ratchet gave me an annoyed glance as I limped over to a medical berth. He was threatening to throw a wrench at Arcee and Bumblebee if they so much as asked a question. Grumpy.

"I told you…" he started. I gave him my newest look, the 'shut up.' -Something is wrong with my processor.-

Bumblebee sifted through his radio recordings, but found nothing usable so he resorted to his beeper. ~Insecticons live up to their names!~

**:::Yes, 'Bee.::: **I said to him through our spark bond. -I'm his sire.-

Bumblebee's faceplates seemed to brighten a little when I agreed with him. **:::Your humor has grown. You're funnier nowadays!:::**

**:::I don't know what you mean…:::**I replied, watching Ratchet start examining my leg. Bumblebee tossed me a confused look as he walked away to his berthroom. Arcee crossed her arms, optics still narrowed, as they have been since Omega One. Ratchet sighed.

"It should heal fine." He said when he finished, standing and wiping his servos on each other. "I think."

I glanced at the medic and gave him brief nod before limping away to my quarters.

* * *

I looked around my berthroom, optics coming to rest on a small shelf I had for keeping holo-cubes. Only one cube on the shelf was different from the others. It was actually a box, and required a complicated sequence of Cybertronian glyphs to open it. Only one bot besides me knew the code: Silentecho, my cousin by Aztek Prime, brother of my sire, Zenith Prime.

I wrapped a servo around the box and took it down from its perch, pausing to gaze at the designs carved into the outside metal. The Autobot insignia was carved into the front, below the buttons imprinted with glyphs. I caught myself as I raised my other servo to the glyphs, shaking my helm and setting it back down on the shelf. I couldn't handle the memories that emerged from the back of my processor every time I opened the little box. I stepped over to the berth and laid on my back, staring up at the ceiling as recharge threatened to take over, succeeding. Everything faded.

_Silentecho's sleek silver armor glimmered in Cybertron's sunlight as she twirled around Vengence and I, laughing heartily. She was special, in both the natural kind of special and a special kind of special. Her spark glowed as white as the moon Suntier's snow. She could bring life back to dying, fatally sick, or already dead bots with her spark. That's the special kind of special, in a way. _

_"Orion, you heard that Blockade was accepted into the flying warriors school, right?" asked Vengence. Blockade was my other cousin by Xenos Prime. I nodded, and he continued. "I'm applying for the same school, and 'Echo's going to a ground warrior's school."_

_"Yep!" Silentecho piped in. I smiled at the two, withholding my own secret. I couldn't tell them I was to be a Prime within the next quartex; Sentinel had me swear to keep it a secret from anybot but a select few until a few solar cycles before it was to be announced with my possessing of the Matrix of Leadership. Vengence laughed as 'Echo spun around again before grabbing her brother in a hug. I watched, knowing we weren't going to see each other as often as usual because of our new training schedules, plus my training to be a Prime has increased considerably over the last orn. I didn't dare mention those facts lest I ruin the few groons we have of free time before we must return to our teachers. _

_It was then everything went dark with a flash of white and red. When I woke, I found myself lying under a large piece of metal, pinning me down. Silentecho and Vengence were gone._

I woke with a start and sat up in a nano-klik, venting faster than normal. "Scrap…" I murmured. Many of my memories had been forgotten when I received the Matrix in the midst of battle, pushed aside when one of my mentors, Xenos Prime, had been killed. I even forgot the thought that I would never forget the disappearance of my cousins. Now old memories are returning as dreams.

**:::Op', you alright?::: **Bumblebee's voice echoed through my helm.

**:::I'm fine.::: **I answered quickly.

**:::You sure? Don't you block me off…:::**

I sighed silently and rubbed my faceplates with a servo. **:::I'm fine, 'Bee.:::**

There was something else in my dream. A small detail I failed to notice at the time of the event and during the dream. I noticed now. A piece of somebot's armor had been lying where my two cousins had been, and it had the Decepticon insignia welded into it. I know how they vanished.

**.:Ratchet, I need you to look at the dent in my helm… I have some suspicions.:. **I said into my comm. I looked at the box I had set back in its spot on the shelf as I stood.

**.:Okay. Are you coming to the medical bay or should I come to you?:.**

**.:Medical bay.:. **I replied with a sigh.

* * *

I limped into the medical bay, which had a small, human sized sign next to the entrance near the floor that said: **ratchet's cave**. I instantly knew it was Miko's doing, her sign she had made back in Omega One, put up by Jack and Rafael. Ratchet looked up from a data-pad as I entered. He had yet to notice the new name for the medical bay, and I don't think he wants to know. "So what's wrong?" he asked, setting the data-pad down.

"I believe it's brought up memories I've long forgotten." I said.

Ratchet raised an optic ridge. "Like?"

"The solar cycle my cousins vanished."

The medic's optics widened in surprise. "Let's have a look at your helm." He said after a few nano-kliks. I sat on the same medical berth I had been on earlier and lowered my helm forward for him, knowing the dent is in the back but close to the top of my blue helmpiece. My processor hummed as I thought about my dream. Why had the Decepticons taken my cousins? Silentecho, I knew. Her spark would give Megatron more power, as is his continuous desire. But Vengence and Blockade? I shall have to ask the only bot who would know. My brother himself, Megatron. After all, nothing happens within the Decepticon ranks that he doesn't know about or command. "Well, I don't have the tools to fix it right now. If its hurting your processor, then I can try getting it out." Ratchet said, letting me lift my helm up to look at him.

"Its fine for now. Thanks." I said, standing. Ratchet nodded and walked back over to his computer and the data-pad to continue his efforts in finding Smokescreen, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack.

**(Ratchet's POV)**

Ratchet watched Optimus walk out again and turned to his data-pad, picking it up and reading what he had put on it.

MEDIC'S LOG

Times have become difficult, not that before Omega One was difficult. I'm surprised I found enough supplies and energon for a computer and ground-bridge. Since the solar cycle I got Optimus out of Omega One's remains, he's been strange beyond comparison.

Ratchet sighed. Optimus has been strange… "Slag." He murmured, setting the data-pad down for a second time. "I wonder…"

After a few kliks of thought, something appeared on the monitor in front of him.

(**First person)**

I was wandering down the berthroom halls in thought when Ratchet called my comm.

**.:I've got somebot's life signal. Come back to the control room.:.**

**.:On my way.:. **I said, turning around and heading back. Ratchet was still standing in front of the monitor when I walked in again, only this time I was behind Bumblebee and Arcee. Jack and Rafael stood by Agent Fowler, who had brought them, both excited. I only hope the somebot is one of our missing bots.

"It's only a few miles from here." Ratchet said.

"That's a relief. I don't want to go to Jasper again… yet." Arcee commented. Ratchet raised an optic ridge at the femme. Bumblebee rolled his optics, earning a warning glance from his aunt.

"What are the coordinates?" I asked. Ratchet handed me a data-pad with the information.

**LIFE SIGNAL**

**Identification: Decepticon Blockade**

**Location: 26-05-555, Lancaster Wal-Mart**

I froze when I saw the name: Blockade. My cousin's name is Blockade. It couldn't be, I thought.

"I'll go. I'll comm if necessary." I said, transforming. The trailer hitch part of my alt mode still felt squashed, and uncomfortable. It's going to be a few orns before that wears off. I sped off through the ground exit and outside, turning onto a black asphalt road toward Lancaster. The base looked a lot like a warehouse really, only a few miles northeast of Dallas, Texas. Nevada was no longer safe for anyone, even us Autobots. I only got a few curious glances from civilians as I drove down a certain Belt Line Road, nothing big. My hologram was on, shaded windows rolled up, so I'm good. At hiding, anyway. I've passed the 'WELCOME TO LANCASTER' sign, and much to my dismay and delight, there was no Decepticon standing in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Scrap, Now I have to hunt!

**A joor later…**

Slag. I pulled up into a space at the end of a parking line, frustrated. I've had no luck in finding Blockade. My hologram picked up an energon sensor and the data-pad and exited myself. I, as the hologram, turned to walk down the lanes with the sensor in hand and eventually came to a stop in front of a sleek, silver, and red 2012 Ford Mustang, the sensor going haywire. Blockade.

"Hey mister."

I turned to see a woman with two children at her side. All were blonde, blue eyed, and the woman had a tired expression, though one of the children spoke. My processor scrambled for a cover story; I had never had to do this before. "Yes?" I replied uncertainly. One of the children was a chubby boy, who was eyeballing the sensor in my hands.

"What that?" the boy asked, pointing at the sensor. Slag. Next thing he's going to do is ask to hold it.

"A little something I built…"

"Can I hold it?" asked the other child, a girl. I looked at their mother then back at them, willing Primus to steer them away.

"Ah, no… I need it. These aren't-Hey!" the next thing I knew, the girl had snatched the sensor and was pressing all the buttons. The boy scowled.

"No games?" asked the girl. I shook my head, and to my surprise the girl threw the sensor onto the concrete with a frustrated growl. I kneeled down to the parts then stood with a small -did I mention small?- microchip.

"I needed that…" I muttered. The woman merely tried to hide a smirk in a feigned apologetic smile as she started taking the two kids down the lot. Whoa. I turned around to look at the Mustang; or where it had been. It had vanished. Blockade must have taken my distraction as an advantage and drove away. That confirms everything. I turned again to see the woman and the two children were also gone, and not a single car had moved. But the red and silver Mustang was right next to me!

I turned my side view mirrors toward the Mustang to see someone was inside. A hologram; flickering. It looked a lot like mine: black hair, cobalt blue eyes -his had a hint of red- and only the clothes on our holograms told us apart. My hologram ran down the lot to my alt, not wanting to lose the microchip. The chip itself held everything about Blockade that could be caught on an energon sensor, and if I could get it safely back to Ratchet, we could always find Blockade despite whatever tech he may have to hide himself. When I reached myself, Blockade's hologram had already exited his alt and walked up to me.

"Hello cousin." Blockade said with a heavy Scottish accent, punching my hologram to the ground. I couldn't turn off the solid hologram setting for fear that I may drop the microchip. I jumped up and ran to my alt form, opening my passenger side door and popping the microchip into my subspace before Blockade's hologram ripped me out. I deactivated my hologram then. "Get fragged and give me that chip!" Blockade growled, deactivating his hologram and transforming. I transformed to bipedal mode after him and unsheathed my right battle blade from my arm, taking a defensive stance. I believe he wavered when he noticed I was much taller than him. A shadow drifted over the two of us and I glanced up to see Thunderwing. A lot bigger than Skyfire, a jet back on Cybertron, Thunderwing was one of the sky-bound Autobot Hunters, of which are commanded by Skywound, a captain under Starscream.

**.:Ratchet, I need a 'bridge!:. **I said as Thunderwing transformed into a mech of massive size, standing taller than the Wal-Mart building itself, and five times taller than me. He stretched a servo in my general direction, intending on picking me up. Blockade had vanished within the few nano-kliks of my distraction and laughed from somewhere. I slashed at Thunderwing's servo and backed away, trying to buy a few kliks until Ratchet had the ground-bridge open. Much to my relief and Blockade's dismay, Bumblebee and Arcee ran out of the now open 'bridge and started firing at Thunderwing. Thunderwing growled and kicked me aside with his left pede before advancing toward the femme warrior and the scout. I landed in the garden isles of Wal-Mart. Ow.

"Optimus!" Arcee shouted, a detectable worried tone in her voice. I'm okay, really, just most likely injured again. Seriously, it hurts. Standing unsteadily, I raised my blade and free servo and morphed them into my cannons, firing at Thunderwing's helm. Arcee sighed in relief and brought her blasters back up. Thunderwing smirked at me and brought seeking missile cannons from his shoulders. My optics widened and I froze; he could destroy everything around here with those, and there were still civilians inside and outside the Wal-Mart.

"Blockade!" I shouted, watching Thunderwing carefully. Blockade had been standing atop Wal-Mart's roof the entire time I had been occupied with the giant Hunter. "You're better than this, cousin!" No answer. Thunderwing roared and ran toward Bumblebee and Arcee, who were both firing in a frenzy to keep the Hunter back.

"Holy Unicron!" Bumblebee beeped as Thunderwing lifted him into the air and sent him flying toward me. He fell smack onto my chestplates, knocking me off balance and back into the assortment of flowers I originally fell in.

"Everyone, get into the ground-bridge!" I called from beneath the yellow scout. Bumblebee jumped up and pranced back and forth, his fists raised and optics narrowed toward Thunderwing. When Thunderwing turned toward him again, 'Bee ran straight for the open ground-bridge and disappeared inside, with Arcee close behind. I ran for it, dodging Thunderwing's missiles the best I could.

* * *

Blockade watched each Autobot disappear and frowned, knowing Megatron wasn't going to be too happy. He watched Thunderwing scrap some vehicles in rage before transforming and flying away. For once, Blockade wasn't happy with being a Triple-Changer, able to transform into both a car and a jet, for he's had to trick many a bot into traps. Sure, Megatron had Blitzwing and Astrotrain, but Blockade knew he was different. He was the cousin of a Prime. Cousin…

* * *

Bulkhead rubbed his helm as he watched Miko fumble with a map, having given her the coordinates. Miko was having trouble figuring out the numbered coordinates and pinpointing them on the map. "If I knew exactly where we are now, I could take us straight to the new coordinates. But, ah…" Bulkhead said. Miko huffed and set the map down in the dirt beside her.

"Doesn't your life signal or something show to Ratchet?" she asked. Bulkhead shrugged.

"Supposedly… But I'm not Ratchet, so I don't know." He said, shifting in his spot where he was sitting. Miko growled and laid the map out on the grass. "And I don't translate coordinates very well." Bulkhead added. The two sat in silence for a klik, staring at each other in disbelief.

"Are you telling me we're completely lost?" Miko finally burst out. Bulkhead groaned and nodded, instantly regretting it. "You're a giant, autonomous organism from Cybertron, and you can't do something most of Earth's computers can do?"

"I was never one to pay attention to anything but wrecking back on Cybertron…"

"Well you should have. I… Oh…" Miko faded off and looked down at the map. "Just like me."

Bulkhead stood and kneeled down to Miko, poking her gently with a servo. "Probably why we're 'stuck' together."

Miko had to laugh, grabbing Bulkhead's servo as if to hug. "Yeah. Maybe this… Why the Frag didn't I remember this before? My tape recorder is always recording my world studies teacher, so I can listen later –not that I want to– maybe it has something to tell us how to translate coordinates!" she exclaimed, smacking her forehead into her palm. Bulkhead watched her dig through the bag that was on her belt, an optic ridge raised. Miko pulled a small black box from the bag, checking around for the button and pressing play.

* * *

**A little hurried... but still a W.I.P! HAVE MERCY ON GRAMMAR! frag...**


	3. Chapter 2-Jackhammer

Wheeljack stared at what was left of the Autobot base, Omega One, in disbelief. "How the Frag…" he murmured. Having just awakened from emergency stasis lock earlier that solar cycle, he was confused. Wheeljack didn't remember anything past Starscream shooting the Jackhammer, the Wrecker's ship, out of the sky. After he woke, he had found the stasis pod Decepticon Airachnid had been locked in empty, and any Iacon Relics he knew would have survived underground were buried under tons of rock and metal, and Wheeljack didn't have the energy to retrieve any other Relic but the Forge of Solace Prime. That was now resting up against the Jackhammer, waiting to be loaded once the ship was repaired. If Prime were here, he'd fix the Jackhammer within half a groon with the Forge, the Wrecker thought. Wheeljack narrowed his optics at the charred insignia on the exposed section of floor before turning and trekking back to where he woke, a slight limp slowing him down a tad. Once he reached the front of the Jackhammer, he placed a servo over the wound in his right side and grumbled. "Should be an easy fix…"

* * *

The black and magenta femme peeked around a large pile of rubble, watching the white, red and green mech curiously. Airachnid. Any part of her Decepticon vanished, leaving a younger, friendlier side. I wonder…she thought. Airachnid knew something had happened to her memory, and only remembered a femme's name: Darklight. Sounded familiar, but so strange, as if from a dream.

Wheeljack fingered the insignia on the side of the Jackhammer and sighed before pulling out his toolbox, wincing when he stretched the damaged cables in his side. He set the toolbox on the ground beside him. Good, no grenades exploded, he thought, unloading the stash of grenades he always kept in the fighter. When he looked up from the grenades, Airachnid had moved out from hiding and into plain sight, but he was staring at the insignia she had with his optics narrowed.

"Hi." Airachnid greeted. Wheeljack stood, watching the femme warily.

"Hi…" he said doubtfully. Airachnid glanced at her insignia then looked at the ground.

"I'm not that."

"Huh?"

"Decepticon. I'm not that." Airachnid looked up. "Nor Autobot, as far as I can remember. Neutral, for the time being I guess." She said, shrugging. Wheeljack relaxed slightly but didn't loosen his grip on a grenade, an optic ridge raised.

"The stasis and the explosion must have knocked most of your memory out of your processor." He mused, placing the grenade on the hook he had on his hip below the wound. Wheeljack crossed his arms, wincing at the movement, and watched Airachnid. The former Decepticon simply stood there, also watching Wheeljack. They stayed like that for nearly ten intense breems until Airachnid broke the silence.

"Well…"

"Lemme guess; you want a ride." Wheeljack grumbled, turning and picking up his toolbox again. Airachnid blinked in surprise. "Yeah, sure." She replied.

"No."

"….."

"How do I know I can trust you? You're a 'Con slash rogue with a Decepticon insignia on your shoulder, and you still look the devious part." Wheeljack summarized, pointing a wrench in the femme's direction. He groaned at the sudden movement, rubbing the bleeding area with his free servo before looking to Airachnid for her answer.

"I can help. And first: I'm not sure what I am. I simply remember one name, Darklight. Second: you're not going to survive with a wound like that. What happened?" Airachnid retorted, crossing her arms as her inherited temper began to flare. Wheeljack raised both brows in surprise of the femme's sudden outburst.

"I don't know who the Frag Darklight is, and I think one of my grenades exploded while it was on me." He said. This femme's getting weird… he thought. But she's right. At the rate I'm losing energon; I won't have enough energy to get through the next lunar cycle.

"Hmph." Airachnid shrugged and came forward a few steps, testing to see if she had any trust. Wheeljack narrowed his optics, a servo hovering over the grenade he had put on the hook. The femme's paused mid step and crossed her arms.

"I can't help if you won't let me."

"I don't trust 'Cons, much less former 'Cons." Wheeljack growled.

"Then die." Airachnid turned and started walking away. "I do remember some things, like you were never good with the aid kit."

It was then Wheeljack remembered he was never familiar with a first aid kit, and always ended up hurting himself more than repairing. Frag… he thought, clenching his servos in frustration. How did she know that?

"Let's strike a deal. I'll help you, and you dig up as much info as you can of my history and the name Darklight." Airachnid suggested. Wheeljack realized he had spoken aloud.

"Deal." He said, hesitating with the answer. His servo still hovered over the grenade, though not as close as before when Airachnid turned around and returned to her original position. Airachnid came nearer and gently touched Wheeljack's side, the Wrecker tense as she tied the broken cables to stop the bleeding. Wheeljack remained quiet until she finished the temporary fix. "Thanks."

* * *

Smokescreen gasped when a claw pierced his armor, drawing energon and spraying it everywhere. He fell to his knees, clutching the gash in his left chestplates, and looked up at the Insecticon who had found and attacked him. Smokescreen didn't have time to hide when the 'Con found him, and was forced to spar with that one and another that had come along after a few breems of evading the first one, without the Phase Shifter, his 'signature weapon,' as Smokescreen called it. The second Insecticon stood behind him, chuckling in triumph.

"Darkblade, this is almost as good as Prime. Only this time, we can actually kill the Autobot." The first one said, smirking. Smokescreen's optics flickered in recognition. They've come across Optimus? If I could just escape them, he thought, trying to pull himself away. Insecticon Darkblade reached out and picked Smokescreen up, wrapping his long claws around the smaller mech's waist. Smokescreen yelped and struggled to pry the 'Con's servo loose, venting hard when his chestplates sent waves of pain through the entire side of his frame.

"Yeah, well… You just hope Lord Megatron won't scrap us for not leaving him to the Hunters." Darkblade growled. The first one: Blackwing, shrugged and transformed into his insect form, grabbing Smokescreen out of Darkblade's servo.

Darkblade transformed and followed after Blackwing, grumbling. Smokescreen groaned when he looked downward, remembering his free-fall from the Decepticon warship the first time with the Omega Keys. He couldn't go onto the Nemesis again, not after that. "Hey, Insecti-dweebs!" He shouted, suppressing the urge to yelp again at his chestplates. Darkblade turned to him with a screech. "Yeah you! You rotten, lame excuse for an Insect! You should be in the scrap heap with Unicron!"

It was Blackwing's turn to screech, right in Smokescreen's audio receptors. "Shut up, Autobot."

Smokescreen held his helm and winced, off-lining his optics. I have to get out of this mess… he thought, looking at the Phase Shifter the Insecticons had taken and Darkblade was holding. Smokescreen smirked and turned to a position where he could easily jump to the second Insecticon's back. He leapt through the air, grabbed the Phase Shifter and narrowly missed getting smacked with Darkblade's wing as he flew past him. Darkblade and Blackwing screeched angrily and flew after the Autobot. Smokescreen snapped the Phase Shifter back onto his wrist and activated it, disappearing into the top of a mesa. Darkblade crashed into the top with a grunt and Blackwing hovered over him.

"He's gone." Darkblade growled, transforming to bipedal form and rubbing his helm. Blackwing screeched angrily and landed beside his comrade. "I knew we should have just killed him."

"Shut up." Blackwing hissed, transforming and walking to the edge.

Smokescreen emerged from the side opposite Blackwing and deactivated the Phase Shifter before collapsing to his knees a second time. Frag… he thought, looking up the side of the mesa before standing and breaking off at a shaky trot.

_"__Optimus, promise me one thing."_

_"__Yes, Sentinel?"_

_"__Don't let anybot get their servos on this or the remaining pillar." Sentinel pulled what looked like an Omega Key out of his subspace and held it up beside the glowing ground-bridge pillar on the table. "It could prove the end of our race, including Megatron. The Omega Keys and their paired pillar can create its own bomb or mind. I had hoped to use them to rebuild Cybertron, using the processor to recreate the world, but with the war; I can only leave one set on Cybertron."_

_"__But what if Megatron…" I inquired worriedly. Sentinel sighed and put a servo on my shoulder._

_"__No 'what ifs'. You must protect the Key and Pillar, as you protect the Autobots." He said firmly. "Should he get them, get them back."_

_"__Yes sir." I said, squaring my shoulders. Sentinel nodded approval and picked up the key and pillar, holding them toward my servos. I took them and tucked the items in my subspace. _

_"__I must go now to protect the rest of the pillars. The other four Keys and their pillars are hidden on another planet, and you mustn't let anybot else find them." Sentinel said, turning toward his transport ship. I watched him enter the spaceship and the doors close with a hiss before turning to see Prowl, the Praxian tactician, followed by Vehicons. I unsheathed my energon sword and prepared to aid the Autobot as he ran over, saying something about the Wrecker fighter: the Jackhammer._

I looked at Ratchet and Bumblebee as Arcee entered the base through the ground door, signaling that I was going to spend some time alone. The memory was one I could remember easily if mentioned, but I had also pushed that aside before I came to Earth. Prowl had mentioned the Jackhammer, but it wasn't important then.

"False alarm. Smokescreen's signal just seemed to dissipate once I got there." Arcee said on her way to her quarters and I walked out the door she had just come in through. Bumblebee whirred and rubbed his helm, he and Ratchet sharing a glance. Once outside, I sighed and turned, leaping onto the roof of the warehouse in a single bound. The landscape wasn't nearly the same as Nevada, and had the supposed 'beauty' of a city or a town. However, I prefer Nevada's open plains and deserts to this. Megatronus… I thought, jumping back to the concrete and looking to the horizon. He never saw much beauty in anything, even life.

"He who?" somebot whirred. All Cybertronians can whirr, click, etc., so it could be anybot.

I turned to see Bumblebee and realize I had been thinking aloud, something I didn't usually do. "Megatron."

"Ah." Bumblebee clicked. "What was it about Megaton?"

"He never saw the beauty in anything but the Rebels who killed…" my voice trailed off and I looked away from the youngling. "…And ruling the planet."

"Who did the Rebels kill?" Bumblebee asked curiously. He was treading on personal ground, even when I didn't exactly have 'personal ground,' I had some. Somewhat.

I sighed quietly. "His and my creators." I said, looking back at him.

Silence reigned on that little spot outside the warehouse for a full two breems, until Bumblebee whirred again. "Sorry…"

"I'm alright." I said, looking at the orange sky. "Let's go back inside with the others."

"Okay."

I followed the youngling back through the door and into the control room, where Ratchet still stood at the computer. "Ratchet, try to track down the signal frequency of the Jackhammer, if you still cannot get a life frequency." I suggested as I walked by toward the Quarters Hall. I heard a surprised whistle and glanced down to see Jack, his arms crossed and eyes wider than usual.

"Hey." He called up.

"Hello." I replied. "Where is Rafael?"

"He's around here somewhere, with Agent Fowler."

I dipped my helm and continued down the Quarters Hall, leaving everyone else in the control room. I heard Bumblebee whirr to somebot before I turned the corner, but I didn't notice. My mind was somewhere else. _'__Echo is the key to the Autobots' survival… I'm sure of it…_

* * *

The blue sky, brownish yellow ground below, and white fluff of the clouds. The Jackhammer zipped past the mesas, slower than usual and looking somewhat out of control. Wheeljack narrowed his optics and pulled on the stick, nearly crashing into the side of a mesa. The repairs had gone well with Airachnid's help, but the one thing Wheeljack had forgotten to fix was the controls. He winced at the strain. Seems like the Jackhammer has a mind of its own with broken steering… he thought, casting a glance to Airachnid in the passenger seat. She looked a little frightened and ready to lose her last refill.

"There's an energon mine near here. I'll land it there." Wheeljack said. Airachnid simply nodded and braced herself in the seat. Wheeljack looked out the window and grimaced, yanking upward on the stick. He caught a glimpse of something white and blue running toward the mine where he planned to land, quickly recognizing it from pictures Bulkhead had sent to him via data-burst the quartex before Omega One was destroyed. Smokescreen?

* * *

Smokescreen looked up at the fighter ship that was veering toward the cave where he was going to hide in. He had never seen the Jackhammer before, so he didn't know who would be inside. He turned and started running for the cave, hoping to meet who it is there. It couldn't be Decepticon, so it was somebot he had yet to meet of the Autobots. There were few 'Bots, so it could be anybot; of course, he had never met nor heard of Wheeljack. The fighter turned sharply and landed in a plume of sand and dirt, sliding on its left side across the desert until it hit the side of the mesa that the cave was in.

"Whoa." Smokescreen murmured when he reached the cave. The front of the fighter was hidden in a plume of black smoke and busted so badly Smokescreen thought maybe the bots inside wouldn't have survived the crash.

* * *

Airachnid onlined her optics and vented hard when she saw what had happened. I knew we shouldn't have flown this heap of scrap until we were sure… she thought, testing her limbs to see in anything was damaged. She was unharmed. "Wheeljack?" she said, looking toward the pilot's seat. The Wrecker's side of the Jackhammer had taken the most damage, and she couldn't see him. "Wheeljack, answer me please."

A mech's groan was heard from the back. "I'm alive… surprisingly…"

Airachnid pushed the back of her seat crashing down so she could climb out toward Wheeljack. "The Jackhammer's scrapped." She said. Wheeljack was lying on his front, doorwings lowered down to his back so the caved in ceiling wouldn't break them, and his right pede was caught under the metal that came down on his pilot's seat.

"Nothing I can't fix over time." He said about the Jackhammer, wincing when he moved his arms. "I… don't think I moved fast enough." Wheeljack added, off-lining his optics for a klik before attempting to turn onto his back, noticeably failing.

"Probably not." Airachnid agreed, holding her spider legs close to her back so she could crawl through to the exit. Wheeljack pushed himself up with his servos and turned, twisting his pede out from under the metal. He gasped in pain when it came loose and touched one of the twisted cables in his ankle. "Maybe you should have listened to me and checked on the steering…"

"Yeah, whatever. Sometimes I'd really love Doc Bot to be here." He grumbled, referring to Ratchet. Airachnid sliced through the door and knocked it off its hinges with her sharp-ended spider legs attached to her back before climbing out. Wheeljack soon followed behind her, pulling himself out while unable to stand on his pede. He landed on his back in a puff of sand and looked up to see Smokescreen, the gash in his chestplates leaking energon through his servo onto Wheeljack's helm. "Could you move and stop bleeding on me?" he inquired. Smokescreen grinned sheepishly and backed up, rubbing his helm with his free servo. Wheeljack sat up and poked a cable in his shoulder.

"I didn't think anybot could survive that." Smokescreen commented. Airachnid looked up from Wheeljack to see Smokescreen's optics were dim, a result of energon loss. "And… she would be here… I thought you were in stasis lock in that pod-thingy."

"Big explosion, breaking glass and bent metal. Hello?" Airachnid grumbled, climbing back into the Jackhammer for the first aid kit. Smokescreen shrugged and grimaced.

"Aren't you a 'Con?" the younger mech asked. Airachnid shook her helm.

"For the time being, I'm neutral. I'm not sure what I am now." She said, tossing the kit box out into the sand. Wheeljack sighed and leaned his back against the Jackhammer's side with a servo over the gash in his side. "I want to find out who Darklight is first, before I choose my allegiance."

"Darklight… I don't know her." Smokescreen said, sitting next to Wheeljack. Airachnid shrugged and picked up the kit, kneeling beside Smokescreen and beginning to patch up the gash the best she could. She noticed Smokescreen tensed a little when she came near, but tried to ignore the tension as she worked.

* * *

Bulkhead slammed the two Vehicons' helms together and tossed the lifeless shells aside as he stood in front of Miko. The two had been found and attacked by the lower ranked Decepticon warriors, of which was an easy takedown for Bulkhead.

"Miko, get under cover!" Bulkhead called, crushing two more Vehicons with his wrecking ball. Miko ducked behind a large rock with her map and peeked around to watch her Autobot friend kick Decepticon butt. "Yeah Bulk, Get'm!"

"Looks like Bulkhead may have it handled." Said a voice. Miko turned and looked up to see Wheeljack, dented and covered in energon in various places.

"Wheeljack! You're alive!" she exclaimed happily. Wheeljack nodded and gave a small grin, leaning on the rock Miko hid behind and watching his friend destroy over a quarter of the Vehicons in a single blow. "What happened to you?"

"Long story." The Wrecker replied, morphing out one of his cannons and firing at a Vehicon that was attempting to sneak up on Bulkhead. Bulkhead turned and grinned at Wheeljack, shooting the last 'Con through the helm before walking over.

"Jackie!"

"Hey Bulk."

"Down here!" Miko called. Bulkhead bent and picked Miko up, putting her on his shoulderplates.

"What happened to you?" Bulkhead asked Wheeljack.

"Like I told Miko; long story." Wheeljack said, straightening and turning toward one of the mesas. Bulkhead didn't hesitate to follow. "I've got someplace for us to stay. An energon mine I had liberated but two orns ago. Smokescreen and a guest are already there."

"Good to know Smokie's alright. Who's the guest?" Miko asked. Wheeljack remained silent as he limped around the side of the mesa canyon. Bulkhead and Miko shared a glance.

"Jackie?" Bulkhead asked.

"Do you really want to know?" Wheeljack asked. They had reached the edge of the cave Wheeljack had been leading them to, and the flickering light of a fire danced across the sand just outside the cave. "You can meet her now, but… Do not attack."

Her? Miko climbed off of Bulkhead's servo when he took her down and ran into the cave to see Smokescreen lying against the wall, optics offline and his chestplates rising and falling with a slow rhythm; his systems cycling air as he recharged, and a black and magenta femme working on completely repairing the gash in his chest.

"Air…Airachnid?" Miko murmured, her eyes wide. Airachnid looked up and tilted her helm at Miko.

"You must be one of Jack's other friends." She mused aloud. Miko nodded and Bulkhead walked in behind her, followed by Wheeljack.

"B-but you're a 'Con!" Miko said, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. Airachnid sighed and stood, walking away from Smokescreen, toward where Miko and Bulkhead stood.

"Neutral." She said, raising her helm to look at Bulkhead. Miko huffed and jogged over to Smokescreen, climbing up his limp right arm to his shoulder. She heard Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Airachnid talking to each other about finding the other Autobots and where they were supposed to meet somewhere down south. "I'll be leaving once across the next border… I need to find a way into the Nemesis." Airachnid said.

"Why?" Bulkhead asked.

"Classified."

Miko rolled her eyes and turned back to Smokescreen's helm, poking the mech until he stirred. "Rise and shine, Smokie." She said, sitting and crossing her legs on Smokescreen's shoulderplate. Smokescreen blinked at her before saying anything. "Well, hi Miko."

"Hi. What happened to you?"

"Insecticons."

Miko tensed. "Fraggin' bugs should be squashed." She said, waving her hand a fly around her head. Smokescreen chuckled, pausing to look down at his chest. "She did a good job." Miko commented.

"She did." Smokescreen agreed, looking toward the three bots nearer to entrance to the cave. "Airachnid also did Wheeljack pretty well."

Miko nodded and stood, stretching her legs and leaning on Smokescreen's cheekplates. "Yeah. I think she would make a good helper for Ratch even after all she's done. I'm not so sure about Arcee though."

"I can talk to her when we find them."

Smokescreen and Miko looked up to see Wheeljack had walked over. "Arcee barely listens to you… How are you going to talk to her?" Miko asked. Wheeljack shrugged and smirked.

"She'll listen, alright, when she learns Airachnid helped both Smokescreen and me." He said, crossing his arms. Miko rolled her eyes again and slid down Smokescreen's chestplates to the ground, walking back to Bulkhead and yawning with her arms above her head. Smokescreen shook his helm and let it fall back against the cave wall. "Rest up. We got a long cycle ahead." Wheeljack told the younger mech, turning and sitting against the opposite wall. Bulkhead transformed and let Miko into the backseat, where she could sleep for the night. Miko curled up and gazed out Bulkhead's rear window at the sky that she could see through the cave entrance. _Tomorrow… What will it bring?_


	4. Chapter 3 - Cousin

**(If anypony or anybot has trouble sticking with my plotline, please tell me. I'm still learning! It doesn't help if I'm behind on school! (It sucks) So please be harsh! But not too harsh! * groans* the last time someone was harsh on my grammar it was so fraggin' hard to get over… - but I forgave the girl though. AM I A SOFTY? 0-O Primus… * hides*) P.S: The italics didn't paste the way I wanted them to, and I'm too lazy to sift through and fix it right now... almost 10:00 pm on a sunday night! I'll find time to fix it sometime this week.**

* * *

Not many clues had been uncovered in the last few solar cycles, and it had seemed like it would take longer than estimated to find the three missing Autobots. But, I knew we could possibly track the Jackhammer's signal if Wheeljack activated the S.O.S.

Ratchet works hard, often far into the lunar cycle without recharge and looks ready to collapse most mornings. I've gotten to the point of ordering him to stay in his quarters for a joor or so. He's such a grump.

So far, my crushed calf cables and pistons have healed themselves a little, and Ratchet ground the dents out of the outside armor. I don't limp as much as before now, with slight pangs when I hit the ground too hard, such as jumping from places. Both Bumblebee and I had already recovered from being thrown by the Wal-Mart a few joors after the attack, nearly four solar cycles ago.

"Optimus, Ratchet's throwing wrenches again. He says he's found the Jackhammer's signal on his mini-sensor." Arcee said. I resisted the urge to roll my optics when I heard about the medic's wrenches; they definitely confirm my compliment from earlier: He's such a grump.

"Then let's find out if it's the actual signal instead of a Decepticon hoax. I'll be in the control room in about ten breems." I said. Arcee nodded and turned. I watched her leave my berthroom before turning back to the data-pad I held, one of the few history pads recovered from the Omega One wreckage. It was one Bumblebee had stashed in his subspace before he entered the ground-bridge. We shared the love of Cybertronian history, me having grown up in Iacon's archives and Bumblebee being a youngling born during the war. The pad I held also had information on Sentinel Prime's invention of the Keys and Pillars, one of which I may still have. Recalling the flashback I had when Arcee returned, I opened my subspace and pulled the two items out. I never noticed one little detail; that wasn't all that little. There was a keyhole in the shape of the Autobot insignia, but the Omega Key wasn't shaped the same. How the Frag is that supposed to work? I thought. I have no idea how to operate the last remaining Omega Key and the Pillar together, and the data-pad held nothing on operations, only purpose.

Ratchet simply turned on the ground-bridge when I walked into the control room, the coordinates set for the Jackhammer's location and enough power running through to keep it open for whatever or whoever Arcee, Bumblebee and I may bring back. "Ratchet, do you know anything on insignia keyholes?" I asked the medic as I checked my battle blades.

"Somewhat, yes. Though it's too much to explain right this klik. The bridge only has enough power for about fifteen breems, more or less." Ratchet replied. I nodded and turned to follow Arcee into the aqua blue, green and purple swirls of light, everything vanishing into white before revealing mesas and sand.

"There." Arcee said, running off. I followed, the Jackhammer sitting beside a cave with black smoke billowing up from it. "Oh no."

"Check the cave." I said. Bumblebee nodded and bolted into the cave.

"Smokie, Bulk, Miko!" the scout's whirs echoed through the cavern to outside, where I stood beside Arcee, as she looked the Jackhammer over.

"Wheeljack activated the S.O.S, but where is he?" she murmured. Her question was answered when Bumblebee walked out of the cave with Smokescreen's arm slung over his shoulder, Wheeljack following the yellow mech ahead of Bulkhead, who had Miko perched on his shoulderplate. I narrowed my optics at the soon to be scar on Smokescreen's chestplates, and raised an optic ridge at Wheeljack when I saw the wound and broken cables in his side. The Wrecker simply shrugged.

"We found them, we found them!" Bumblebee clicked repeatedly as he let Smokescreen sit against the mesa side, next to the cave opening.

"Smokescreen and Wheeljack lost a lot of energon." Said a femme's voice. Arcee and I shared a glance. We both knew who it was. Airachnid herself stepped out from the shadows of the cave, watching Arcee warily. "I couldn't help much without energon out here."

"Wait… you, helped?" Arcee asked, an optic ridge raised. Her expression didn't soften much. Airachnid nodded.

"We have a potential medic." Wheeljack said, motioning to the black femme. Arcee blinked in disbelief. It was then I noticed we only had a few breems to get back through the ground-bridge.

"Arcee, we must get Wheeljack and Smokescreen back to base." I said. Bulkhead glanced at Miko before turning to the bridge, jogging through. Wheeljack soon followed at a slower pace.

"'Cee?" Bumblebee clicked. Arcee jolted out of her thoughts and ran over to help 'Bee with Smokescreen. I comm'ed Ratchet.

**.:Last bots coming through. How much longer can you keep it open?:. **

**.:Few more breems… Frag.:.**

**.:What's wrong?:.**

**.:It's all malfunctioning. Nothing on the control panel will work! Don't come through the bridge; Primus knows where you'll end up.:.**

**.:See if you can get my trailer through; I can take Smokescreen back by road.:. **I glanced at Arcee, Bumblebee and Smokescreen, motioning them to stop. "The ground-bridge is malfunctioning."

**.:Here it comes.:. **Ratchet said as something gray appeared in the bridge. I ran forward and pulled it into the sand right before the ground-bridge closed. **.:Got it?:.**

**.:Yes.:. **

"So now what?" Smokescreen asked. I straightened and pressed the insignia on the side of my trailer, opening the roof and sides like I had done back in the train tunnel some six quartex ago.

"You ride, and we drive." Bumblebee whirred. Smokescreen raised an optic ridge but let the two bots walk him over to the trailer. I transformed and hitched up to the trailer, ready to roll back to base, even if it did take a cycle or two. Hunter or not, I like Nevada's landscape.

* * *

_Silentecho, Vengence, Orion…_barreled through Blockade's processor like an out of control train. Repeated, a couple dozen times a klik. The data-pad the red mech held triggered the short list, as it was one Orion Pax and put together for him. Orion Pax was a mech easy to get used to. But for Blockade, Optimus Prime was difficult to process. Cousins, though few bots know the blood relation. Sadly for Blockade, Megatron already knew their relations. After all, the gray mech had been the sick-minded brother of Pax. Still sick-minded. Sick-minded enough to fall for Blockade's being an unknown double agent, of Blockade's own accord. Blockade's only real friends among the Decepticon ranks were the Vehicons: Knockout, K204, and K327. Both Vehicons shared the compassion they had for the Autobots and the humans, and Blockade felt he could trust them with his secrets. Knockout was simply a friend.

"I need you two to get assigned to guarding the special content brig cell." Blockade said when the three of them finally found time to talk in the Vehicons' quarters without eavesdroppers. "I need to consult you know who…"

"Aren't you getting tired of pretending to be evil in front of your cousin, Prime?" K204 asked. Blockade nodded quietly, setting the data-pad on the berth beside him.

"That, and the Nemesis is very depressing. Anyway, I just need to make sure Meggie-tron didn't nearly kill Vengence again." He said. K327 snorted and stood, walking over to the door, which hissed open when he neared.

"He most likely did, yet again. And the femme's too weak and tired to do much." he said before walking away. K204 sighed and looked at Blockade.

"I'll see if I can trick the guards there now that the two of us are to take over for the lunar cycle," he said, standing to follow his colleague. "If not, you try." He added as he left. Blockade sighed and rubbed his faceplates with both servos, staring at the ceiling. I prefer to stay away from the control room… But… Fraggit! He thought, groaning. It was hard to feign Decepticon allegiance, after so many vorns of it, and being around Megatron made it even trickier. Blockade stood, picked up the pad, and looked around the room as he walked over to the door, which opened for a third time with a steamy hiss. He closed his optics and imagined what it would have been like if he hadn't left flight school to keep track of one set of cousins and become a self-employed double agent. Even the Autobots didn't know he was with them. Laughing at the Autobots having their chaseys kicked in Lancaster wasn't enjoyable. Thunderwing simply, straight out annoyed Blockade. It was the same with T25, a captain under Commander Starscream for Flyer Division 6T100, an elite team of flying Decepticons. Blockade sighed again and turned down the hall, transforming into his flight mode of an F-22 RAPTOR jet and flying through Vehicons. Time to check on my data-pads, and hide this one… He thought. The data-pad he had from Pax rested safely in his subspace as he flew, occasionally bouncing around when the jet turned. Blockade relaxed when silence took over the halls, and he slowed down to a cruising speed. Noise made him tense and cautious. The silence was short-lived though when a servo reached out from the shadows and grabbed the F-22's nose. Blockade flipped around, his left wing scraping against the wall before he transformed. The servo lost its grip and Blockade hit the floor and slid for a few yards, sparks flying. The servo's owner chuckled.

"Expect the unexpected. That's what you should have learned when you were in flight school."

Blockade groaned and sat up, recognizing the voice. T25, a Decepticon bully who really liked to beat K204, K327, and Blockade. "T25, shouldn't you be with 6T100 and Commander Starscream?" Blockade asked. He rubbed his chestplates and glanced over to his left, scowling at the warped metal his wing had become. T25 rolled his optics.

"Shouldn't you be working on data-pads?" he retorted. Blockade growled and picked up the data-pad he had in his subspace. T25 smirked. "I'm not an 'on-time' mech, everybot knows that."

"Well I'm not an 'all work and no play' mech. Now leave me be." Blockade said, turning his back and continuing down the hall at a walk. Much to his dismay, T25 followed. Blockade transformed back to F-22 and turned hard to the right in order to keep him from spinning to the left as he rocketed toward the Nemesis's medical bay, where he knew the medic and scientist, Knockout, would help him get away from T25.

**.:Ah, so you want a chase, eh?:. **T25 said via comm. Blockade quickly blocked him and turned into the medical bay door, transforming and landing with a low thud. Knockout looked up from buffing himself and narrowed his optics, motioning to where he and Starscream had found Autobots Arcee and Bumblebee when Megatron was in stasis lock. Blockade ducked down into the hole, watching the bay doors warily. T25 simply passed, continuing down the halls in search of the red mech.

"You can't hide forever." Knockout said, setting the buffer on his worktable and standing. "Aren't you a rank higher than that puffed up glitch?"

"He'd never listen to me even if I was." Blockade said as he climbed out and stood, stretching his back cables. "Glitch or not, T25's a valuable captain."

"Agreed. He brings more Vehicons and Flyers into my medical bay than anybot else can." Knockout said sarcastically. Blockade couldn't help but chuckle. "Breakdown would kick his aft if you asked, if he was here."

"Don't bring up Breakdown. He was nearly as bad." Blockade said, taking a bent chestplate off and looking it over. Knockout sighed.

"It was easier to buff with Breakdown doing it."

"Enough with the buffing. You'll live." Blockade grinned and handed the medic his chestplate. "I need this dent out."

Knockout took the chestplate and glared at the younger mech. He smirked and set the armor on his worktable beside the buffer. "Will do. Meanwhile, ask Insect over there to fix your wing." He said, motioning toward the recharging Insecticon. Blockade face-palmed.

* * *

Kicking nothing. Punching nothing. Blasting at… nothing but the sides of the mesas. Smokescreen was resting in my trailer, Arcee recharging nearby and Bumblebee Primus knows where. The sky was a deep orange as I went through my usual battle motions, but something didn't feel right. I couldn't spar with any other Autobot because of our size difference; I could kill one of them easily. It wasn't always just me fighting imaginary or holographic foes. Silentecho used to help with my hand-to-hand combat, usually kicking my behind but she helped; probably how I survived before becoming Prime.

"Op?"

I paused and turned to see Bumblebee standing in the entrance to the warehouse. "How long have you been there?" I asked. The scout shrugged and stepped out onto the asphalt.

"You need somebot to spar with. I can do hand-to-hand and long range. C'mon! Just like old times!" he whirred, optics bright as he pranced in place. I stared at him blankly, remembering when he was just a sparkling in my care. I used to sit with him and finger fight, or let him wrestle my servo like he would another sparkling. I smiled slightly.

"Your on."

"Woot-whoa!" Bumblebee clicked as he dodged my punch. "Yeah!" he ducked and came up behind me, bouncing.

"Silly 'Bee." I murmured, turning and swinging my fist at his helm. He dodged again with a laugh, popping up nearby, but behind me. How the Frag is he doing that?

"This really helps." Bumblebee whirred to himself. It was then I noticed he had the Phase Shifter on his wrist, borrowed from Smokescreen for this.

"Bumblebee…"

"What? Oh… Heheh…"

"'Bee, Optimus, I've got a Hunter signal on Ratchet's sensor. We need to be moving." Arcee said as she walked over. Ratchet must have comm'ed her because I shut off my comm. Bad habit, I know. I gave the femme and quick nod and straightened, walking over to the trailer and poking Smokescreen.

"We're moving out." I said. Smokescreen nodded and I transformed, hitching up to the trailer and revving my engine as I waited for Arcee and Bumblebee.

We soon hit the road southward, often cutting across the desert in order to quicken our return, but when we couldn't (when surrounded by mesas) everybot hopes Ratchet would fix the ground-bridge before a Hunter finds us.

"Halfway there." I said after transforming to bipedal mode for our stop. Bumblebee groaned and plopped against the side of the mesa we stopped beside, dimming his optics. **:::I haven't driven this long or hard since Raf and I were on our way to base.::: **the scout told me via bond. I tossed him a sympathetic glance, stretching my cables. We're all getting cramped from being in vehicular form for such long periods.

**.:Optimus, I'm ready to try the ground-bridge on getting everybot home.:.**

**.:Good.:.**

**.:Prepare yourselves.:. **Ratchet cut the link then.

Arcee transformed, yet again, and zipped off into the 'bridge. Bumblebee clicked and followed suit, with me close behind.

* * *

K204 sighed and straightened before stepping around the corner in front of the two Vehicons standing in front of the brig, trying to sound like he actually had orders. K327 stood behind him, waiting.

"We are to take over for the lunar cycle. You're wanted to join the other Vehicons at the energon mine below." He said. The two guards shared a glance, then one shrugged and they both walked down the hall. K327 moved over to the left side of the brig entrance, but K204 poked around the corner he had stepped around for Blockade. "He's not here yet."

"He'll be a few breems. T25 caught him again." K327 explained. K204 rolled his optics and went to join his friend by the doors.

**Half a groon later… **

"Where the heck is he? It's almost been all lunar cycle!" K204 grumbled. K327 face-palmed.

"It's only been half a groon."

"Well it feels like all lunar. I've never been this bored."

"Steve, you're a Vehicon. There's no such thing as bored."

K204 and K327 looked down to see Nightbird, the human youngling Knockout had raised.

"She's right." Blockade said as he walked up. K204 huffed and put in the code for the brig, the doors opening at his command with the same hiss as always. "Thanks you two."

"Hey, I wanna meet these bots you keep in here." Nightbird said, jogging after Blockade. K204 glanced at Blockade, who nodded and kept the doors open until Nightbird had stepped in.

"Just, don't tell Knockout I let you in here."

"Okay." Nightbird replied cheerily. Blockade sighed and walked down the rows of cells to where energon sat in a puddle on the floor, leaking through the bars in a continuous stream. "Uh…"

Blockade peered into the cell before he typed in the code. The bars opened and he stepped in, crouching low. "'Echo?" he whispered.

"Blockade?" a femme's voice came from the shadows, where the glow of energon could be seen on the floor even there and two pairs of blue optics peered out. One set was dim, flickering weakly. "You brought energon, right?"

"Yeah." Blockade opened his subspace and pulled out two cubes of energon, one low-grade and one medium-grade. "I brought a low-grade in case Vengence couldn't keep medium down."

"I can keep it down." The dim optics flickered angrily and Blockade grimaced. "But thanks for the thought."

"Who the Frag are you talking to Blockade?"

Blockade turned to see Nightbird had wandered over to the cell he was in. "Um…"

"Oh hey Silentecho!" Nightbird greeted when she saw the femme's face. Silentecho gave the girl a small smile. Blockade simply stared. Nightbird noticed Blockade and laughed lightly. "I come in here whenever I'm bored to explore. It's like a dungeon in here! I met them a few orns ago. Is Vengence alright?"

"I'm alive, at least." Vengence told Nightbird. Blockade shook his helm and handed Silentecho the energon cubes and a first aid kit.

"Surprisingly. I'd have thought you dead from energon loss because of Megatron by now." He said. Nightbird rolled her eyes and ran over to Vengence, who Blockade could see well because of what light came through a window.

"I've helped a little." Nightbird said. "Size comes in handy."

**.:Blockade, Lord Megatron wishes for you to come to the control room.:. **Some Decepticlone comm'ed. Blockade groaned, startled by the comm and annoyed by Megatron. "I have to go. Nightbird? Knockout might want to know where you are… head back to the medical bay."

"Okay. See ya Silentecho, Vengence." Nightbird said, jogging out of the brig. Blockade stood and soon followed, regretfully closing the cell.

"Bye, 'Bird. Blockade, find us a way out soon." Vengence turned his icy gaze on Blockade and narrowed his optics before closing them as he coughed to clear his vents. "Neither of us can take Megatron much longer."

"I will. My cover may soon be blown anyway." Blockade said. I hope not too soon…he thought as he left. "But, I shall finally inform Optimus about you being here."

* * *

Clues are overrated. Actually finding something or somebot aren't. That's my thought, but not my statement. Don't ask. It's a short story. Just kidding, it came to mind when another memory of my cousins popped into my helm. It's as if I had been brainwashed, as Miko put it.

"F.Y.I, not remembering something means you've brainwashed yourself!" Miko said, throwing out her arms in emphasis when she was told of my memories. Everybody simply stared at her. "What? It's an interesting concept!"

"Interesting indeed." Ratchet sighed.

Of course, everyone also thinks Miko a tad psycho. Admittedly, I do too.

"It wasn't Scraplets… so it's simply the make. I made the ground-bridge from memory, and my memory isn't as good as it used to be…" Ratchet said regretfully.

"It isn't your fault." Raf said. Ratchet nodded.

"I suppose not."

"The important thing is that you fixed it, right?" asked Jack.

"Not completely, but it's up to working condition again. Minor malfunctions may still occur."

I put a servo on Ratchet's left shoulder. "It takes time to perfect things. It did take you a few steller cycles to figure out how the ground-bridge even functioned."

"True." Ratchet rubbed his helm and put the circuit he held back in its place before rising from his place beside the new 'bridge tunnel.

"Optimus, incoming message from… Blockade." Arcee said, looking up at me. I gave her a nod to let it through and looked to the monitor. "Patching it into your comm."

**.:I see you decided to let me comm you.:.-Blockade**

**.:Blockade, what was to meaning of you disappearing mid-battle, when I…:.-Me**

**.:Take a chill pill cuz. I had to do that to maintain something of great importance.:.-Blockade**

**.:Which is?:.-Me**

**.:Meet me at your human's old workplace in Jasper and I'll explain everything. Come alone, and come unarmed. At least, don't morph anything on me.:.-Blockade**

My cousin broke the link then and I looked at Ratchet. "He wants me to meet him where Jack worked… alone." I informed him, glancing at Jack, who had appeared with June while the Autobots and I were driving.

"Or where my mom worked." Jack suggested. I shook my helm with a sigh.

"There's no telling which. I can check both, but I may miss him as I did back in Lancaster."

Ratchet opened the ground-bridge. "Well, let's get down to the bottom of all this."

I nodded agreement. "Make sure no one follows." I said, casting a meaningful glance toward Miko. Bulkhead sighed and fixed his optics on the girl, who was pretending to not have heard as she played her electric guitar.

"See ya, Optimus." Jack called. I turned to the ground-bridge, transformed and sped through, the white light opening up into the center of the darkened town of Jasper. New Kaon loomed over the town a few miles away, but uncomfortably close. I returned to bipedal mode and looked around, my optics coming to the fuel station where Jack had worked before all of this. **.:Ratchet, do you have his signal?:.**

**.:No. Everything's blocked. Even your signal. It's only a matter of time before….:. **the comm broke off in static, but I knew what Ratchet was going to say. I walked over to the station and scanned for any signs of life, but only found the signal of a squirrel? I would think all animals would have migrated for food. I raised an optic ridge when the rodent bounded away.

"Yes, it is strange to find a squirrel out here, when it's so dark and forbidding…" somebot said from behind me. I whirled to see a flash of red and purple, then pitch black.

"Thanks for the compliment 'Steve'." Somebot said sarcastically. I groaned quietly as my optics flickered online to see Blockade standing and talking with two Vehicons. Vehicons, and he said to come alone. "You do know I regret having to hurt him."

"Whoop, whoop. He's awake." One of the Vehicons said when he noticed me watching them. Blockade sighed and lightly punched the Vehicon's shoulder.

"Shut up." He growled. I flexed a servo to find I wasn't bound and sat up, rubbing my helm. The dent in my helm was deeper than before now, but it didn't hurt, strangely. Though it might later. "Well, cuz, I guess it's time for me to spit it all out. Oh, and I'm not telling you where we are until I'm done… safety reasons." Blockade said, sitting beside me, though a little out of reach.

"Don't mind us." The first Vehicon whistled. The second one smacked the first upside the helm.

"K204 and K327, the only Vehicons who have a passion for the planet. They know everything about me, and I them. Trustworthy as double agents."

Confuzzling as it was, I was relieved. I gave the two identical mechs a brief nod and looked back at Blockade. "Where have you been all these vorns?" I asked.

"Being a self-employed double agent for the good side. I had to go with the Decepticons in order to protect and ensure that Vengence and Silentecho-"

"'Echo and Vengence?!" I exclaimed, trying to stand. My legs failed me and I didn't go anywhere. "Where are they?"

"Chillax! I injected something into your leg cables you can't get at me if this should fail. Silentecho and Vengence are safe, for the time being." Blockade answered.

"'Time being'? Blockade, I've been searching for them for vorns on end since the war began." I said, my processor wandering back to 'Echo's box. Blockade put a servo on my shoulder and I paused to look at him.

"I know, but I never had the chance to free them without your help."

I stayed tense as I leaned back against the wall I had been on before. I have never been this angry, with the exception of Megatron. "You have a plan?" I asked. Blockade nodded hesitantly. "You don't have a plan…"

"Eh, so-so…?"

I simply stared at the red mech. K204 and K327 exchanged glances for a nano-klik. "What have you got?"

I now understood Blockade's behavior in Lancaster, simply his attempt to maintain his cover, and why he and my other cousins had been missing for so long. But, his plan in getting Silentecho and Vengence out of the Nemesis unnoticed wasn't top class. Medium or bottom class either. I know it'll fail. Especially since there were so few Autobots, against a warship and a huge fortress nobot could get into. Unless, it was one of the three; K204, K327, or Blockade. It may still fail.

* * *

**Which of the three should I send to New Kaon in the next chapter? Plus, one of the Autobot/Vehicons must eventually die :3 yeah, I'm like that. The good guys must suffer! LOL. * rubs helm* though… I feel like having every one of my FAVORITE characters get hurt in all my stories… * counts fingers* geez. That's a lot of injured bots… I DON'T EVEN HAVE AN ESTIMATE! -_- I'm such a whaleface. * gasps* Oh! Should I name K204 Steve, Bob, Jeff, or one of my unknown OC names that I have nobot for? K327 too!**


End file.
